Three candidates will be running in early presidential election in breakaway Abkhazia scheduled for August 26.

Deadline for nominating candidates expired on July 17.

Acting president of the breakaway region Alexander Ankvab; prime minister Sergey Shamba and former vice-president Raul Khajimba will be contesting for becoming the third leader of Abkhazia after the region’s second de facto president Sergey Bagapsh died in late May.

The three candidates have also named their vice-presidential running mates.

Raul Khajimba, whose candidacy is backed by the opposition party, Forum of People’s Unity of Abkhazia, has nominated Svetlana Jergenia, a wife late Vladislav Ardzinba, who led Abkhazia from 1994 to 2005, as a vice presidential candidate.

Sergey Shamba’s running mate for vice presidency is deputy head of state committee for youth affairs and sports Shamil Adzinba.

Alexander Ankvab named head of the Gulripshi district administration Mikhail Logua as his running mate.